20 Years of Service

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On
a bright, sunny Saturday after the first week of classes, more than 600 new
Berry College students spent their morning serving the community in the 20th
annual First-Year Service Day.

Paired
up with local service organizations, students worked alongside their
classmates, mentors and professors on more than 30 volunteer projects. Students
helped with mural paintings, gardening and even washing dogs at the Floyd
County Animal Shelter. No matter their duties, First-Year Service Day allows
students to bond and put into action the motto of college founder Martha Berry,
"Not to be ministered unto, but to minister."

Freshman
Alex Bolling from Dacula, Ga., worked at the YMCA cleaning up their learning
garden and putting new weed barrier down.

“It
was a great experience to give back to the Rome community and to get to know my
fellow classmates better,” Bolling said.

“First Year Service Day is such a special
moment!” Vasquez said. “It’s a day where everyone is reminded that the world is
bigger than us, that even just around our small town of Rome there is important
work to be done. There are always ways you can impact lives you may have never
even thought about before.”